Tennessee football: 10 Vols who should redshirt in 2019

Given all of Tennessee football’s issues on the offensive line this past year, it would seem as if nobody should take a redshirt until they know they aren’t going to be in the rotation. Well, Riley Locklear can be pretty sure.

The junior lineman played in four games as a freshman in 2017 and then in six as a sophomore in 2018, but he never really emerged as a significant guy in the rotation. Then he was relegated to the second-team offense in the spring game.

Locklear suffered that relegation despite the fact that Brandon Kennedy was limited, Trey Smith was still out and two newcomers were among the competitors, one of whom made the first team in Wanya Morris. Add in the arrival of three more linemen this summer, including five-star phenom Darnell Wright, and he’s likely to fall deep into the pack.

As a result, Locklear should take a redshirt. He could come back in 2020 as a junior with plenty of opportunities to get into the rotation. Right now, with everybody healthy, there are five juniors and one senior ahead of Locklear in the rotation. If he takes a redshirt, things could clear up for him in 2020, and he could get into the rotation in 2021. Otherwise, he’ll remain buried and rarely play.